News on ID Cards, ID Badges and Photo ID Systems: 05/08/2005

Applying Aristotle to voter ID?s rhetoric

4:08 AM

Proponents of mandating a photo ID card for voting often like to clinch their case by saying that, if that card can be required for such and such, surely it can be required for casting a ballot. The such and such has included cashing a check at a bank, renting a movie at Blockbuster and borrowing a book from the Milwaukee Public Library.Last week, that list grew. Trying to combat the meth scourge, the Legislature passed a bill that would put certain cold medicines out of reach in pharmacies and require customers to show a photo ID to buy the pills. Gov. Jim Doyle is expected to sign the bipartisan measure into law.

Full Article from jsonline.com.

Friday, May 13, 2005

ID card Trick

4:09 AM

Ideally, the debate about national ID cards should have happened before Congress approved them. But better late than never.The Real ID Act?which was slipped into a bill appropriating money for U.S. troops in Iraq, thereby assuring its passage with few questions asked?requires states to issue machine-readable, biometrically encoded ID cards (typically driver's licenses) meeting federal standards that specify who gets them, what information they contain, and what documents must be presented to qualify for them. Only such IDs will be accepted for purposes such as traveling by plane or train, opening a bank account, starting a new job, using government services, and collecting Social Security benefits.

Full Article from reason.com.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

This country needs a real national ID card

2:30 AM

"May I see some identification, please?" asked a retail clerk taking my check. "Certainly," I said, and handed the woman my Hong Kong identity card. She looked at it blankly for a moment then said, "Can I see some other kind of identification?"Sometimes when I'm feeling cranky or mischievous, I hand over my Hong Kong ID card when I need to produce some kind of identification.Why not? It's a perfectly valid document. It has my photograph on it. I know of no law that specifies that my Washington state driver's license has become a national ID card. At least not yet.The US is groping toward a national ID card system, compelled both by worries about security in an age of terrorism and the need to control immigration. But Congress is going about it in the wrong way by trying to elevate state driver's licenses to some kind of national identity card.

Full Article from csmonitor.com.

Senate takes third crack at voter ID;governor wants different bill

2:27 AM

Voters would need to show a state or military photo identification card before they cast ballots under legislation the Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday, a bill similar to those the governor already vetoed twice.Despite the vetoes, Republicans renewed their push for the bill on the heels of an investigation in Milwaukee that found hundreds of fraudulent votes were cast in the November election and the city counted 4,600 more ballots than registered voters.Democrats who objected to the bill used a procedural move to delay a final vote.

Full Article from gmtoday.com.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Biometric IDs put to test at Yokosuka

2:32 AM

Individuals entering Yokosuka are being screened more thoroughly through the new Defense Biometric Identification System, according to those who designed and now use it.DBIDS links people?s biographic data to their ID card bar codes. Security personnel, using special hand-held scanners, can verify identity and alert security if the card has been reported stolen or the cardholder is wanted by police. Being tested at Yokosuka, it eventually is to extend to all installations in Japan.

Full Article from estripes.com.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

National ID cards Won't Stop Terrorism or Illegal Immigration

2:34 AM

The US House of Representatives passed a spending bill last week that contains provisions establishing a national ID card, and the Senate is poised to approve the measure in the next few days. This week marks the American public?s last chance to convince their Senators they don?t want to live in a nation that demands papers from its citizens as they go about their lives.Absent a political miracle in the Senate, within two years every American will need a conforming national ID card to participate in ordinary activities. This REAL ID Act establishes a massive, centrally-coordinated database of highly personal information about American citizens: at a minimum their name, date of birth, place of residence, Social Security number, and physical characteristics. The legislation also grants open-ended authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security to require biometric information on IDs in the future. This means your harmless looking driver?s license could contain a retina scan, fingerprints, DNA information, or radio frequency technology.

Full Article from baltimorechronicle.com.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Cii offers kiosk solution for visitor tracking and lobby security

2:33 AM

Cii Associates, Inc. announced in a news release the formation of LobbyGuard Solutions, LLC, a company dedicated to providing facilities with visitor management and security tools including the flagship product, LobbyGuard Visitor Management Software. The new company reflects a partnership between Cii Associates and Public Consulting Group, Inc. of Boston.LobbyGuard is a visitor management software solution and visitor tracking system that enhances school safety and corporate security. The combination hardware kiosk and Internet-based database software records all visitor information and employee traffic details, prints photo ID badges and allows for select facility personnel to conveniently access a full range of visitor traffic reports from the Web. The system is currently in use in school systems across the Southeast to track visitor traffic and alert school officials of suspicious activity.

Full Article from kioskmarketplace.com.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Mom's magic handbag

2:34 AM

Even so, when I reach inside to retrieve a tube of lipstick -- past a bulky wallet, eye glasses cleaner, work ID badge and half a dozen pens -- I'm often reminded of the scene in "Mary Poppins" when Julie Andrews reaches into her black leather carryall and pulls out a lamp. And a mirror. And a hat stand.Everything the nanny needs to outfit her new quarters and make the children smile fits neatly inside her bag.Ms. Poppins may have had magic on her side, but there's some truth in the nonsense. In a roomful of women, it's hardly possible to ask for some trinket or product -- however obscure -- and not have one of them reach into her purse and answer the request.And the most well-equipped purses belong to moms.

Full Article from ljworld.com.

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